This is an ideal place for me to express my gratefulness to my Ph.D. advisor, Prof. Sammy Tin, who has offered me the financial support and... Show moreThis is an ideal place for me to express my gratefulness to my Ph.D. advisor, Prof. Sammy Tin, who has offered me the financial support and tremendous freedom in doing research. From working with me through publications and thesis, mentoring me what constitutes a professional and high quality work, nurturing my patience, to giving me advice on how to deliver an insightful presentation, Prof. Tin puts his effort in helping me on every small step that I need to make, as I gradually become more experienced in research and start to make a few achievement along the way. I am deeply indebted to Prof. Tin’s vision, guidance and sustained support. I would like to thank Prof. Philip Nash, Prof. Sheldon Mostovoy and Prof. Sudhakar Nair for being the committee member of my thesis defense, and offering me so many invaluable suggestions. The indispensable help from Russ Janota, the faculty and staff in the MMAE department is acknowledged. The enjoyable interaction with Mengtao, Qizheng, Matt, and other TPTC friends helps me in various aspects. I would like to thank Dr. Hideyuki Murakami and Dr. Takahito Ohmura for hosting me in NIMS. The experience had broadened my horizon and tremendously enhanced my capabilities to conduct independent research. In addition, the research collaboration with Prof. Julia R. Greer and Dr. Robert Maass on freestanding Ni3Al nanoparticles is also fully acknowledged. Furthermore, I am grateful to Prof. Qiang Feng and Prof. Roman Nowak. Their constant support, encouragement, mentoring and nurturing have a profound influence on me. This thesis is dedicated to my beloved parents, Jinlong Gan and Yuxiang Lai, who have built the fortitude into my mind. I also thank my sisters, Liping Gan and Lihong Gan, for their sustained support. Their love and understanding enable me to have a peaceful mind that makes this study possible. I also feel grateful to the deep love and endless patience from Xiaomo Li and the support from her parents. PH.D in Materials Science and Engineering, December 2012 Show less
